Communique 2018-2019

communiqué College of Humanities, Arts & Sciences Alumni Magazine University of Northern Iowa

BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT ADDS MICRO-CT

PRINTMAKING ALUMNI WIN NATIONAL AWARDS

YWCA PARTNERSHIP AIDS COMMUNICATION

CHEMISTRY CLASS STUDIES MASTODON TUSK

IN THIS ISSUE

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EVERY ISSUE

Making an Impression

Message from the Dean Donor Feature CHAS Briefs New Faculty Class Notes

FEATURES 6 10 14 22

Printmaking Awards Micro-CT YWCA Partnership Science in the Media

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8

4 5 34 42 44

STORIES 18 20 21 26 28 30 32 36 37 38 40

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Theatre Faculty Head to Space Camp: See the story in our Briefs section

Mastodon Tusk Documentary Film Clips Tom Hockey’s Asteroid Conference Table Lake Michigan Ozone Study Strong Estate Marketing Wetland Restoration Alumni at NASA Theatre CR Artistic Director Human Rights Fight Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Communiqué is published annually by the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences at the University of Northern Iowa.

DEAN JOHN FRITCH EDITOR/DESIGNER SARAH PAULS, MARKETING MANAGER JENNIFER MILLER, DESIGNER WRITER/EDITOR JENNIFER MILLER, WRITER MAUREEN CLAYTON, ASSOCIATE DEAN CONTRIBUTORS ANDREW CREASEY, UNIVERSITY RELATIONS CARLA WEHMEYER, UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

Clockwise from upper left: The discovery of the mastodon tusk; A still from film clips students created about the Iowa State Penitentiary; The Department of Technology and Philosophy and World Religions interdisciplinary table project; Wetlands restored by alumna.

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Ron and Mary Bro enjoy

MESSAGE DEAN

from the

GIVING BACK

Today, several of the departments in the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences hosted alumni as part of our Alumni-in-Residence program. On a

A University of Northern Iowa education took Ron Bro from Iowa to Oregon to Egypt

beautiful (if somewhat overcast) autumn day, these alums came to campus

and beyond. After his travels, he spent the last 25 years of his teaching career at UNI.

to meet with students and faculty, and although each graduated from

It felt like a return home. Now, with his wife Mary, he’s giving back.

different departments, there were many commonalities about their visit.

Ron (’55 Industrial Arts, ’58 MA Industrial Arts) and Mary (’54 2-year teaching

The group shared the successes they have experienced in their careers and

certificate, ’83 General Studies) want to provide scholarship support for students going

reminisced about their time at UNI. They spoke about how the physical

into Technology Education to help lessen the financial load of today’s graduates. They

appearance of the campus changed since they were on campus as students.

have included UNI in their future giving plans by providing for the creation of the Ron

They mentioned the new buildings (Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts

and Mary Bro Scholarship Endowment.

Center), or recently remodeled buildings (Bartlett Hall), or buildings that no longer stand on campus (Baker Hall). The physical campus is very different,

The Bros belong to that special group of alumni who, during their years in Cedar Falls,

even for the more recent alums.

saw the university’s transition from Iowa State Teachers College to State College of Iowa to finally the University of Northern Iowa. But they have seen far more than

The alums also talked about their experiences at UNI. Each mentioned

name changes at UNI in the last 60 years. Ron fondly recalls rooming in Stadium Hall, catching football games on O.R. Latham Field, and frequenting classrooms in

life beyond the classroom. Each spoke about academic experiences outside

the Arts and Industries Building with drafting tables and T-squares. But despite UNI’s

the classroom—ranging from tasting trees on campus as part of a biology

evolution to state-of-the-art dormitories, advanced athletic facilities and modern

assignment to student teaching in the local community—that helped form

teaching facilities, the Bros still feel the same connection and loyalty to the university

their lives. Their time on campus was shaped by people and experiences that were unique to UNI. It is this part of the UNI experience that is very much the same.

In this issue of Communiqué, we are featuring several stories about current and former students and the impact that caring faculty and outstanding experiences outside the classroom are having on them. These experiences lead to fascinating opportunities and careers. There are not many universities that can claim to have a music major working at NASA, undergraduates preserving Mastodon tusks or a celebration of 50 years hosting the oldest literary review in the nation. We are proud that in each of these stories you will find students working closely with outstanding faculty on exciting projects.

I hope you will find these stories reflective of the type of experiences you had at UNI. Sincerely, John Fritch, Ph.D. Dean, College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences —4—

that launched their careers in education.

“WE THANK UNI FOR ITS CONTINUING ROLE IN PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THEIR CHOSEN CAREERS.”

“UNI’s outstanding faculty and curricula enabled us to excel as teachers,” Ron said.

“It enabled me to follow a career path far greater than I ever imagined as a farm boy growing up in southwest Iowa. My teaching career has taken Mary and me from Iowa to Nebraska, Oregon, Egypt and Zimbabwe. I was thrilled to return to UNI for my final 25 years of teaching.” Ron was on the faculty in the Department of Industrial Technology and served as department head twice, while Mary taught preschool in Cedar Falls.

Ron, son of immigrant parents who farmed in southwest Iowa and the youngest of 12 children, was the ninth Bro sibling to come to UNI when he arrived as a freshman in 1951. Mary grew up in Clinton and the two met shortly after coming to Cedar Falls.

Ron says he owed just $200 when he graduated. He and Mary both worked during college, including jobs operating a switchboard, mopping floors at the old Mitzies Cleaners and making desserts for ISTC’s food service.

“We thank UNI for its continuing role in preparing students for their chosen careers,” says Ron, “and that’s why we gladly give to UNI. We think it’s payback time.”

Cassie Luze, Senior Director of Development, contributed to this story —5—

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professors who challenged them and friends who helped them learn about

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A single word keeps coming up when discussing printmaking: magic.

Her current work for exhibition includes two series, combining

Art professors Tim Dooley and Aaron Wilson liken catching the first

large-scale prints with hand-drawn layers and photography. Her

glimpse of a print to the ‘reveal’ of a magic trick. The end product is

thesis project is exploring scientific, historic and poetic aspects

hidden by the process, whether it be a silkscreen or a press. And then,

of sleep and the day/night cycle, and she’ll also have an exhibit to

when the ink is in place and the result appears, it’s a transformation

showcase that work in the spring.

that causes excitement and awe.

In 2016, Dana Potter won the undergraduate award as a UNI It’s a process University of Northern Iowa alumni have mastered.

student. Her SGCI exhibition was held at the Hudgens Museum

Most notably, alumni have been recognized by the Southern Graphics

in Atlanta and featured a series of screenprints using social media

Council International (SGCI) in three out of the past four years. SGCI

advertisements and a group of prints exploring computer mouse

is the nation’s largest organization of printmakers, and each year they

movement tracking and interface layouts. Her work was based on

award two fellowships, one for an undergraduate student and one for

her investigations in targeted digital advertising.

a graduate student. The fellowships come with a cash award and the opportunity to do a solo exhibition at the following year’s annual SGCI

Potter has recently begun using eye tracking software on self-

conference, providing great exposure.

generated imagery in an “I Spy” format. In doing so, she’s exploring the nature of play and invention in technology, finding practical

Alumna Louise Fisher, currently in her last year of graduate school at

and impractical purposes. She’s currently a graduate student at

Arizona State University, won this year’s graduate fellowship. Her solo

the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, one of the highest-ranked

exhibition will be in Dallas in March 2019 at the next SGCI conference.

graduate schools for printmaking.

Fisher says she is fascinated by the way time moves in cycles. “The Iowa landscape taught me quite a bit about this when I was young—

UNI alumnus BJ Alumbaugh was awarded the 2015 SGCI graduate

the stark change of seasons, the growth of crops, the movement of the

fellowship while he was a graduate student at the University of

stars across an expansive prairie sky, the regeneration of cicadas in the

Tennessee, Knoxville. For his exhibition, held in Portland, Ore.

summer,” said Fisher. “Repetition is evidence of time passed; this is

in 2016, he created an installation centered around the shared

why I find myself drawn to printmaking and photography as they both

experience of seeing in the visual spectrum. Using large mylar sheets

have the potential to create multiples of the same image.”

with transparent ink, Alumbaugh created an optical experience through color multiplication of overlapping sheets.

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Alumbaugh’s SGCI graduate fellowship showcase in Portland, Ore., 2016.

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MAKING AN IMPRESSION

THE PRINTMAKING PROGRAM AT UNI IS TRANSFORMATIONAL; BOTH IN THE WORK AND FOR OUR STUDENTS.

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Opposite page: Potter at her SGCI exhibition #TheIdealAesthetic in 2017.

His current work is investigating the technological

The professors’ research into contemporary

advancements of rendering images via colors, both

printmaking also lays a foundation for student success.

printed and digitally with calculated dot patterns and

“We often tie that research to emerging technologies

color sequences. He works as a freelance designer and

in the field, such as utilizing a CNC laser to cut a

printer at Cryptic Press in Knoxville, Tenn.

woodblock for relief printing. This knowledge is

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Below, clockwise from upper left: Alumbaugh’s current work; Fisher working in the studio; artwork from Potter’s undergraduate thesis show; a piece from Fisher’s UNI graduation exhibit.

passed down to our students to make sure they have a “Each young person that comes through here has a different background and different ideas about how they want to succeed in the world. If we can open doors for them through printmaking, that thrills us.”

– Professor Aaron Wilson

Both Potter and Alumbaugh say their passion for

foundation based in both the traditional and the cutting

printmaking developed while studying at UNI under

edge,” said Dooley.

Dooley and Wilson, who are themselves successful printmakers. The professors work to spread the joy of

Their teaching style is proving successful as graduates of

printmaking, both in students at UNI and in high schools

the printmaking program at UNI are attending the top

around the state where they do workshops each semester.

graduate schools for printmaking, landing impressive

“The magic really happens when one sees the first results

internships and finding success at their professional

of wet ink on paper. That’s where people make a lasting

endeavors. Alumnus Jake Manternach, a 2017 graduate,

connection to printmaking,” Alumbaugh said.

was recently hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to design game day posters and other marketing materials.

Dooley and Wilson also credit UNI’s excellent facilities

He credits his printmaking pieces in helping him to

with creating a draw for enrollment and having the

land the job. Potter agrees, saying the success of the

equipment necessary for young artists to excel. The

program and recent accolades received by participants

studio has apparatus for digital output as well as large-

“is a testament to Tim [Dooley] and Aaron’s [Wilson]

format hand-printing presses that provide capabilities

commitment to providing students the resources and

most students haven’t been exposed to before.

flexibility they need to make meaningful, beautiful and well-researched work.”

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Faculty Member, Nathan Bird, talks with a student about the anatomy of Sewellia lineolata (hillstream butterfly loach).

GIVING STUDENTS ACCESS TO EXCITING TECHNOLOGIES WILL PREPARE THEM FOR THEIR FUTURES.

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Imagine you could see right through an animal. You could examine its bones, or the way the muscles are structured, and see the wispy veins and arteries flowing through the animal right before you. Thanks to a grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, University of Northern Iowa biology students no longer have to use their imagination. The UNI Foundation helped to secure the award for just over $300,000 to fund the purchase of a micro-CT scanner, a 3D printer and computer work stations to operate the equipment. Now students can digitally dissect detail, which can then be reproduced in 3D for further examination.

The micro-CT will be used to scan small specimens in the vertebrate anatomy class taught by Nathan Bird, assistant professor of biology.

Bird says it’s a class that hasn’t changed much in the last hundred years, and it’s time that technology was utilized to make some big

MICRO SCANS, BIG OPPORTUNITIES UNI’s Department of Biology brings anatomy class into the twenty-first century with micro-CT and 3D printer

The course is changing to mimic the dynamics of preprofessional programs such as veterinary and medical schools. Dissections will be done in groups and students will learn to operate the new equipment themselves.

If they have already had these experiences as an undergraduate, they are better prepared for success at professional and graduate schools.

changes. Previously, students dissected a shark and a cat, representing the opposite ends of the vertebrate tree. But now, as long as the specimen fits into the 6-inch diameter opening of the machine, students can choose which organism they want to study and perform a digital dissection.

Scans from the micro-CT can be converted and reproduced on the 3D printer, so students will be able to output a bird skeleton or the organ system of a lizard. They can print a circulatory or nervous system four times larger than actual size to be able to study it in more detail.

Vertebrate skulls can be printed, studied and put on display.

Preserved specimens can be obtained from museums, scanned and returned, while not destroying any tissues by dissecting. Then the scans can stay on file and can be rendered at will, so with each class the repository of different specimens available for study will grow.

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countless organisms, revealing the inner-workings of anatomy in precise

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the machine by themselves, convert the files and learn how to use the 3D printer, too. It’s resume-building experience coupled with industry-level technology that will get noticed on applications to post-collegiate programs like veterinary, dental, physical therapy and medical schools. “We’re really preparing our students for the next step, giving them a leg up,” Bird said. “It gives them talking points and makes them stand out among applicants.”

The micro-CT was built in Germany and included some add-ons to make it optimized for the university setting.

A carousel will allow many specimens to be added at the same time and be scanned one after the other, and a posing module will let students better capture the scans they want. An old dark room was converted to house the micro-CT, 3D printer and computers together “It very quickly expands what is available for my students to look at and to play with,”

because no one within vertebrate anatomy is doing

Bird said. “They’re able to really explore the breadth of the vertebrate tree, whereas

anything like this. It really puts UNI students at the

before they were limited to the ends.”

next level in terms of competing, with that experience they’ll be getting,” said Bird.

The micro-CT produces scans by detecting differences in density. It can also be used to scan things other than vertebrates, such as invertebrates, plants and rocks. The small machine can capture more detail through higher resolution images than a large CT scanner, with the capability to capture scans less than a micron in width. Scans are stacked to create a 3D rendering, which can be converted to the file type necessary to be sent through the 3D printer.

Introductory biology classes will also get exposure to the new technology, but students will have to take upper-level courses to get hands-on experience running the equipment. Undergrads and faculty members will utilize the instrumentation for their research projects, and a new class has also been proposed: Biological Design and Function. If approved, students could take scans of organisms and morph them, studying form and function to see if internal systems could be improved with Above: Grad student MJ Lashbrook loads an animal skull into the micro-CT. Right top: The 3D printer is prepped for printing by undergrad Casey Brown.

Right lower: A specimen of Sewellia is prepared for scanning.

modifications. Basically, students could design their own organism.

The students in Bird’s class will operate the machine themselves, something not many universities provide the opportunity to do. The University of Iowa and Iowa State both have micro-CTs, but they aren’t in the biology department, and students often don’t get to have hands-on experience with them. UNI students in Bird’s class will run — 12 —

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conveniently in the same area. “I’m really excited

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LEARNING

TOGETHER

A collaboration between UNI and the YWCA of Black Hawk County is tackling language barriers and providing assistance for people who are learning a second language.

UNI students head to the YWCA two evenings a week to work with participants seeking to improve their English.

The free program offers no-cost transportation and child care, and anyone can show up to the informal but inclusive setting. On average, 40 to 50 UNI students from three classes — Advanced Conversation and Reading in Spanish, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Latinos in the U.S. — speak with 30 to 40 adults each week. Students have helped their eager learners with everything from reading maps and bus routes to going to the library and the courthouse and navigating social services.

Participants in the YWCA program come from a variety of backgrounds, and the mix is constantly changing. While Spanish was the most prevalent native

A partnership between UNI and the YWCA breaks down language barriers

language when the collaboration began in 2014, many participants now come from locations such as Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Central America and Croatia and speak French, Portuguese and native tribal languages, among others.

The result is that many of the UNI student volunteers are not fluent in the language of their partner. This presents a challenge, yet helps them learn the nuances of nonverbal communication and other coping strategies when the words aren’t there — useful skills for those who plan on teaching languages after graduation.

“Becoming proficient in a second language is not just learning the grammar and Students working directly with clients at the YWCA.

learning the vocabulary,” said Jennifer Cooley, professor of Spanish who has

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What if you couldn’t describe your symptoms to a doctor, communicate with your child’s teacher or order the food you want at the meat counter?

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Students choose to engage in the program by signing up for one of the participating courses that includes community-based learning elements.

spearheaded the collaboration along with others. “It’s

The original UNI/YWCA language partnership began

also learning nonverbal cues, it’s learning how to sit back

as an independent study. Students researched what

and listen, and be able to ask the question three different

language assistance was needed locally through

ways. There are a lot of pieces of the puzzle when you’re

interviews with management at YWCA and community

trying to learn another language.”

feedback. After finding an unmet need among Spanish speakers, students produced translated documents like

Students rotate partners for each class, so they get to

school registration and immigration forms to help them.

English fluency. They also use textbooks and picture

The project evolved into a more formal collaboration

dictionaries to communicate and learn how to cross the

in 2015. “There were lots of Spanish-speaking people

gap between different languages.

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experience multiple languages and varying levels of

fit to have UNI students serving as language partners,” “The idea of trying to tackle these really challenging

said Cooley. “It was a really good setup to get people in

situations and not being able to do it in your first

these very parallel situations where the UNI students

language has proved to be very valuable for all the

are seeking to increase their communication skills in

learners involved,” said Cooley.

Spanish as a second language, and the YWCA students are seeking to improve their English language skills.”

The language classes also facilitate cross-cultural experiences. Students have shared fabrics and food

Students have been inspired by the program to change

from their home countries with each other and shown

majors or add additional languages or TESOL to their

off their skills at a talent show. A rummage sale

coursework. Some have decided to pursue social work

allowed learners to practice negotiating with money

or human resources after discovering a passion for

and discuss buying clothes.

helping people, while many discover the value of community engagement and plan to continue being

As part of their coursework, some UNI students have the

involved after graduation.

chance to plan a lesson for the evening program. They practice teaching it in Spanish to classmates to discover

“Students find value in it. They’re finding some

any potential challenges before giving the lesson in

intercultural skills that allow them to communicate with

English to the YWCA participants.

people from all different walks of life,” Cooley said.

Upper left: UNI students prepare a rummage sale for YWCA participants to practice negotiating, buying clothes and exchanging money.

Upper right: YWCA student Alivena Noel, from Haiti, spoke at the 2018 Women of Persimmon event, in recognition of her success as a student in the program.

Bottom: Collaborating professors (left to right) Elise DuBord, Caroline Ledeboer and Jennifer Cooley at the UNI Community Engagement Celebration in spring 2018, where they were recognized for their work.

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BRINGING HISTORY TO LIGHT WITH SCIENCE

It’s not every day you prepare to perform an experiment

then better understand the entire mastodon population

on something over 100,000 years old. But for students

in the state,” Sebree said.

working in the Instrumental Analysis course taught by Josh Sebree, assistant professor of chemistry, that’s just

Sebree’s class is organized such that students get to

what they get to do.

experience more aspects of a research project than just collecting data. “They have the first third of the semester

UNI Museum and chemistry class work together to restore mastodon tusk

Thanks to a grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable

to come up with a topic that pairs the chemical system

Trust secured by the UNI Museum, Sebree’s students

that they want to look at with the correct instrumental

are involved in a three-year project studying a mastodon

technique [on equipment available] within the

tusk. The class is working to discover what methods

department,” Sebree explained. Students determine what

have been used to preserve the tusk, as past preservation

they are trying to discover, and pull all of the information

methods were ineffective and potentially dangerous,

together into a six-page proposal. They must include

sometimes including materials like lead-based paint,

a Curriculum Vitae with their background experience,

lead plaster or asbestos.

which helps them to prepare these documents for use after graduation.

The Instrumental Analysis class was designed as a way for students to understand how analytical instruments work, the proper way to use instruments, and how to perform independent research while collecting publishable results.

inhabited North and Central America before becoming

After their proposals are peer reviewed and approved,

extinct. The tusk being studied was discovered in a gravel

students spend hands-on time learning the instrument

pit near Hampton, Iowa, in 1933 and was donated to the

they chose. Once the instrument has been mastered, they

UNI Museum the same year. It is over 11 feet long and

can perform the experiment on the tusk itself. Over 20

weighs 600 pounds, although it was broken at the tip by

instruments are available to choose from, including an

the workmen who found it. The museum displayed the

electron microscope, a hand-held spectrometer and a

tusk in the 1960s, but it has been in storage for the last

portable x-ray fluorescence device. Using their results,

50 years.

they create a poster presentation, and some students go on to submit findings for publication in journals.

The goal of the project’s current phase is to remove layers of artificial materials and get down to raw tusk.

At the end of the restoration, the tusk will be put on

Then an outside conservator will come to help with

display, but the projects related to the tusk have been

cleaning, stabilizing and preserving the piece, but first,

broad and useful across campus. Many students in

students must determine what substances are on the

different departments are doing work focused around the

tusk so they can be removed effectively and safely.

tusk, including Earth Science students who are planning a visit to the quarry where the tusk was discovered. They

Faculty member, Josh Sebree carefully examines the mastodon tusk with his class.

Once the artificial materials on the tusk have been

will study the geological features to learn more about

removed, the next step of the study is to run new tests on

the time period and where the tusk may have originated.

the exposed raw tusk to learn more about the mastodon

UNI Museum interns, anthropology students and a

itself. While there are many mastodon tusks around the

research librarian have all done tusk-related activities

state, this is the first large-scale study. “People are really

as well. “It’s really brought together a large body of the

interested in seeing what all we’ve done, what all we’ve

campus population,” said Sebree.

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Mastodons are large elephant-like mammals that

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A UNIQUE TRIBUTE

SHOWCASING “THE FORT”

Professor has asteroid named in his honor

Class creates short videos from documentary footage

Mars

Thomas Hockey has been immortalized in the sky.

Hockey, a University of Northern Iowa professor A still image from the documentary.

Earth

of astronomy, was notified in December that asteroid number 25153, also known as 1998 SY53, has been formally named

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“Tomhockey.” This honor is in recognition of At the oldest prison west of the Mississippi, the walls have a lot of

I could see a deepening of their understanding of the issues.

his work on the Biographical Encyclopedia of

stories. A collaboration between Humanities Iowa and filmmaker

In addition, they learned valuable lessons about creativity in

Astronomers (2nd Edition). Orbiting in the

Dan Manatt shared some of those tales, as they produced a

storytelling through the documentary format and through editing as

asteroid belt, the asteroid is located on average

documentary about the old Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison

they worked and re-worked their projects,” Soans said.

about 2.4 times further from the Sun than

called The Fort: 177 Years of Crime & Punishment at the Iowa State

the Earth, and it takes 3.82 years to orbit the

Penitentiary. UNI’s Advancing Digital Production: Video Editing

While there were challenges to overcome, including server space and

Sun. Tomhockey has an orbital eccentricity of

class, taught by Professor Francesca Soans, played a role.

editing software issues due to the large volume of data, the students

only 0.098, similar to Mars, with a value of 0

learned a new professional editing system called Avid. They were

being a perfectly circular orbit. If you want to

Shot over four years by different directors, there were several

also able to experience film editing with real-world issues, such as

see Hockey’s asteroid, you’ll need a very large

hundreds of hours worth of footage. The students’ task: to create

busy schedules, technological problems and working with a “client.”

telescope or an excursion to Latham Hall.

to be used as educational material, placed on the film’s website and

The class screened their final cuts at the end of the semester, which

Hockey also received the Donald E. Osterbrock

screened for the public.

resulted in 10 short story video segments used as promotional and

Book Prize from the Historical Astronomy

educational material for the project. The documentary premiered

Division of the American Astronomical Society

last fall in Fort Madison, followed by the TV premiere in April 2018.

for his work on the encyclopedia. He served as

Tomhockey

video vignettes of the people and locations in the state penitentiary

The Iowa State Penitentiary, nicknamed “The Fort,” was founded in 1839, seven years before Iowa became a state. It closed in 2015

The relative sizes of the orbits of the inner planets are shown along with asteroid Tomhockey.

editor-in-chief for the four-volume reference

when a new facility opened, which is also featured in the film. Other

Soans says the project brought out the students’ creativity,

work, which contains biographical sketches of

subjects highlighted include the riot of 1981, the escape and capture

innovation and commitment in crafting their stories, and educated

astronomers spanning antiquity to the modern

of two inmates and the fifth-longest serving offender currently in the

them on a topic that many people often don’t get to see. “What made

era. It’s 2,434 pages long and features biographies

United States.

this project unique was that students were exposed to the images,

of approximately 1,850 astronomers written by

stories and people of a world hidden from our eyes, the world of the

430 authors. The award was presented at the

prison,” said Soans.

HAD meeting in Grapevine, Texas.

The class started with research on mass incarceration and other prison documentaries to help understand the nuances and challenges of presenting the subject. Prison staff members, inmates and other topics were chosen as the subjects to develop in the short films.

Students worked in pairs to craft the interview and location footage into a compelling package. “As they worked on individual stories,

Students Tristan Bennett, Jonathan Carpenter, Josh Comer, Marielle Gonzales-Gaiser, Jaelyn Hogue, Jack Horan, Taylor Horvatich, Laney Kraus-Taddeo, Taylor Peterson, Breezy Scobee, Kyle Stoutenberg, Brigham Swanson, Clara Tosi and Joe Vizzini participated in making the videos.

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Siobahn Morgan, Department Head, contributed to this story

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SHARING ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE THROUGH STORYTELLING WILL BUILD FOUNDATIONS FOR POSITIVE CHANGE. Christopher Martin has identified a problem: Science is poorly reported on in the news media. The University of Northern Iowa professor of communication studies is trying to remedy that through Science in the Media, an organization created to provide tools for journalists to tell better stories about environmental science in Iowa.

Martin serves as its director.

“We wanted to figure out ways to provide sources for science reporting, and to provide data for news media to use for stories covering environmental science issues,” said Martin.

The group’s website, ScienceintheMedia.org, contains information to help reporters without a science background. But Martin has gone a step beyond providing tools by working with tomorrow’s journalists.

Iowa public schools within 2,000 ft. of cropland.

Science in the Media and IowaWatch, a journalism nonprofit, work

Iowa public schools not proximate to cropland.

with Cedar Falls High School journalism instructor Brian Winkel and his students to produce original investigative reporting each year.

The ongoing collaboration was featured in the Columbia Journalism

10.4%

Review in April.

89.6%

This year, the joint project focused on pesticide exposure risk at Iowa’s public schools. Of Iowa’s 1,321 public school buildings, data showed nine out of 10 are within 2,000 feet of cropland, putting 444,558 students and teachers at risk for pesticide exposure.

Above is basic data research performed by the students in the classes. The chart shows 89.6% of Iowa publis schools are within 2,000 feet of cropland.

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Cedar Falls students took that data, compiled by Martin and graduate student Abbie Shew, and used it to conduct interviews. They turned those interviews into articles, refining them with feedback from Martin, Winkel and Lyle Muller, IowaWatch’s executive director.

— 23 —

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ADDRESSING LOCAL TOPICS WITH

Working together to inform and educate

SCIENCE & JOURNALISM

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— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

It’s a unique opportunity for the high school students. “Cedar Falls has the only weekly high school newspaper in the state, so the journalism students there are Poor science reporting is a result of three main factors:

2. Reporters and editors mistakenly think that they must include “both sides” to be fair instead of focusing on evidence.

3. Scientists may not be trained as media sources and might do a poor job linking research to questions from reporters, while industries that benefit from twisting science usually employ spokespeople for just that purpose.

over,” said Winkel.

Besides learning about the topic at hand, the students learn the value of science

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1. Budget cuts means no experienced reporters to cover the science beat.

prepared to write frequently and deeply because they hone their skills over and

reporting, in addition to teamwork, interviewing, tenacity, civic engagement and writing skills, Winkel noted. “It’s the goal of everyone to expand deep storytelling on issues of social importance to more high school students around the state,” he said.

Stories done through the Science in the Media project have been picked up by media outlets such as The Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier, the Des Moines Register, the Iowa City Press-Citizen, the Cedar Rapids Gazette and The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.

While the stories inform the public about potential science-related issues, they have also brought attention to these issues among politicians with the power to bring change. Last year’s project on nitrates in local watersheds led to increased discussion among state leaders after it was published, while students were able to raise the pesticide issue with unaware legislators from both parties. “Lots of good can come out of having investigative articles about these sorts of things,” said Martin.

The project is entering the last year of a three-year project supported by the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust and is part of a larger Science in Action project with the Center for Energy & Environmental Education. Martin hopes to continue the project to teach more young journalists the value of science reporting and to produce additional in-depth stories about science issues for the people of Iowa.

— 24 —

Top: The most recent issue Science in the Media tackled is pesticide drift near schools.

Bottom: Graduate assistant Abbie Shew, Professor Christopher Martin and teacher Brian Winkel meet with Cedar Falls High School journalism students.

— 25 —

— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

The Shaker theology, their understanding of what was important and valuable in the world, was embodied in their woodworking practices.

Soon, if you walk into the Fox Seminar Room in Bartlett

The chosen design was in the style of the Shakers,

Hall, you’ll see the culmination of an interdisciplinary

embodying their hallmarks of clean lines, quality

project spanning three different courses and

craftsmanship and no visible hardware. Greenhalgh

representing the involvement of many on campus.

suggested the Shaker style, finding their own unique American religious story an appropriate fit for the

It began when Lisa Riedle, head of the technology

table’s destination in the Department of Philosophy

department, sent out a request looking for projects that

and World Religions.

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head of the philosophy and world religions department,

As it was a Capstone class made up of a variety of

responded. Their conference room was lacking an

majors, many of the students had no experience in

adequate table, and he had something in mind. It needed

carpentry. They split up into teams to build the table,

to be large enough to fit the space, seat at least 20 people

with team leaders who had woodworking knowledge

and be curved like a boat so everyone sitting at the table

aiding those without. Greenhalgh says that was one

could see each other.

of his favorite parts of the project, “throwing out a challenge with some unknowns and seeing students

Riedle and Soneson found a construction partner

rise to the challenge and pull it together.”

in the Capstone class of Scott Greenhalgh, assistant

BRINGING EVERYONE TO THE TABLE Classes in the Department of Technology construct conference table for Department of Philosophy and World Religions

Above: Students from Greenhalgh’s Capstone class pause for a photo with pieces of the table they are constructing.

professor of industrial technology. The class, about the

The teams worked to build the table about two hours a

relationships between technology and society, was very

week outside of class time. But in class, the table was still

popular, with nearly twice the enrollment of many

a central theme. Soneson visited to explain some of the

other Capstone classes.

Shaker theology, making a connection between religion, technology and construction. “It’s not easy to connect

To begin, a team of four in Riedle’s class researched and

the humanities with technology,” said Riedle. “This

“The Shakers were great woodworkers. I went into detail about their theology and its influence on their furniture making as a way to give the students a richer experience in building the table.”

completed a feasibility study before moving to the design

opportunity just fell in our lap.”

– Jerry Soneson

of the table. They worked with Carol Christopher, UNI interior design coordinator, to make sure the look fit in

The table isn’t quite finished, but Greenhalgh’s Intro to

with the campus aesthetic. They also had to make sure

Technology and Engineering Education class will finish

the table could make it to the second floor conference

it this semester. “Our department is very grateful to the

room via the elevator or the stairway and account for

Department of Technology for not only being willing to

equipment restraints to make sure pieces would fit in the

try this out, but for being very successful,” said Soneson.

appropriate machinery during construction.

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her Industrial Projects class could design. Jerry Soneson,

— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

CHASING the WIND

A massive research project aims to improve the quality of life for

Czarnetzki deployed a sodar (Sonic/Sound Detection and Ranging) and

people along Lake Michigan, and Alan Czarnetzki, his equipment and

a microwave radiometer to gather atmospheric data. The sodar records

his students are taking part in it. Czarnetzki, a University of Northern

changes in sound waves as they travel through the air to measure

Iowa professor of meteorology, is working with the National Oceanic

wind speed and direction. It also has a ground temperate sensor that

and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, the Environmental Protection

measured the cooler temperatures brought in by the lake breeze. That

Agency and several other universities, research institutions and state-

drop in temperature can be lined up with increased wind speed in the

run organizations on the Lake Michigan Ozone Study.

data to confirm arrival of the breeze. “They are two independent pieces

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Study of lake breeze attempts to improve ozone forecasting

of information, not measured by the same equipment,” said Czarnetzki.

The study, fielded in spring 2017, gathered data to see if ozone levels

“That’s what you’d expect, and when you see that, you feel pretty good

can be predicted based on weather patterns, which would aid in the

about the quality of the observations you’re making.”

issuing of ozone advisories for Chicago, Milwaukee and other cities along Lake Michigan. Ozone is the main ingredient in smog and can

The microwave radiometer scans the atmosphere, listening to the

trigger or worsen respiratory ailments. Findings might also be used to

vibration of oxygen and water molecules. The vibration is dependent on

assist policymakers in creating regulations to improve air quality.

temperature, so the computer can effectively get temperature readings and water vapor concentrations from up to 10 km above ground.

Lake Michigan creates ozone when pollutants collect along its surface due to the cooler temperature of the water. The sun’s rays break those

Czarnetzki provided a preliminary report at the Lake Michigan

chemicals down, and some of the resulting molecules recombine to

Ozone Study data workshop in Chicago last September. He’s also

form ozone. The sun also warms the land around the lake, creating the

had students using the data as part of their undergraduate research

lake breeze that blows the ozone to the populated areas.

projects. The next step is to write research papers after continuing to

Above: The microwave radiometer (left) and sodar (right) are set up in Zion, Ill. and ready to take measurements related to the breeze coming off of Lake Michigan.

Right: A map showing different components of the study completed by a group of many different agencies.

untangle the relationships discovered in the data.

In addition to measuring the lake breeze, the study also measured the lake and air temperature, water vapor levels, wind conditions in the

“Something that was interesting was to see the variability in the lake

lower atmosphere, presence of volatile precursor pollutants and time

breeze,” Czarnetzki said, noting both the arrival time and the depth

of day in an attempt to figure out what elements have the most impact

of the breeze were not consistent. “I think the sodar in particular

on the breeze. Scientists took measurements from two primary sites at

uniquely showed that, of all the instrumentation that was deployed for

Sheboygan, Wis., and Zion, Ill., but also gathered data via automobile,

this project. I feel it’s making a pretty important contribution to the

airplane and ship.

whole project.”

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— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

WRITING FOR ANYWHERE FROM ANYWHERE Tracy Freese provides marketing services for businesses all over the world

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

The Professional Writing program draws a variety of students.

“I’m teaching a class where English, Criminology, Supply Chain Management, and Accounting majors are sitting next to each other.”

- Adrienne Lamberti

Tracy Freese knows what she’s

focus of the program is to study

Freese’s customers, located all

writing about. Her company,

how people communicate and

over the world, find Strong Estate

Strong Estate, provides

interact with each other in the

through online marketplaces like

commercial copywriting and

workplace and the impact of those

fiverr.com. She says her Iowa

photography services for

communication decisions.

location is a benefit; people trust

customers all over the globe. And

Iowans, and American English Students in the courses, which

is the most desired language for

Cedar Falls, most of her

can be part of a declared

writing because Americans are

employees are not.

Professional Writing minor or

the ones doing all the buying.

taken individually, work on actual

Some United Kingdom sellers

Freese has organized her business

client projects to produce or edit

will send over copy to be edited to

to embrace the digital nomad

workplace communications.

American English.

lifestyle. Many of her employees

Their clients represent a variety

can work from wherever they

of organizations from local to

Lamberti thinks the partnership

are, especially the writers. “We

international and both for-profit

between the Professional Writing

work remotely. Most everything

and non-profit. “It’s a hands-

program and Strong Estate seems

we do is able to be done

on, ‘real world’ community

to be working well, adding that

anywhere, any time,” says Freese.

engagement experience. That

in the past three years, eight

It works out well for her staff,

can be intimidating for some

Professional Writing students

the majority of whom are UNI

students, but they come out

have moved on to work at Strong

students or alumni.

of the projects with incredible

Estate. Freese appreciates

knowledge and networking

the good work ethic and

opportunities,” said Lamberti.

professionalism that comes from

Freese is an alumna of UNI herself, completing her M.A. in

her UNI students. “UNI provides

organizational communication

That practical experience for the

us with a really great funnel of

here. It’s helped her to

students means they’re ready to

talent,” Freese said.

understand the type of culture she

work, and Freese takes advantage.

wants to have at Strong Estate:

The writers at Strong Estate can

relaxed, with no dress codes or

cover any topic and any project,

set schedules. She utilizes tools

from website copy to white papers

such as Google Suites, video

and press releases to business

conferencing and document

pitches. As for the photography

sharing to keep workers, remote

side of the business, Amazon

or not, on the same page.

sellers make up a large portion of her clients. Freese has found a

Tracy Freese, owner of Strong Estate.

— 30 —

Adrienne Lamberti, associate

high demand for lifestyle images

professor of English, provides

with real-world models provided

Freese with a good supply of

at an affordable price. They also

interns from the Professional

shoot short videos of people

Writing program at UNI. The

interacting with the products.

— 31 —

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while her office is in downtown

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

Across the country, wetlands

impacts resulting from development or construction

are in danger. Factors such as

projects, as required by state law. Restored wetlands that

changes in upstream watersheds,

have been banked have a perpetual easement over them

an increase in pollutants, invasive

to protect the areas from future development.

plant species and loss of natural

HEALING

MOTHER EARTH Working to restore wetlands and protect vulnerable plant life

Left: Husveth doing plant survey work.

Photos on this spread and the wetland photo on page 3 are courtesy of CCES.

Many of the wetlands CCES works with are part of

contributed to the decline of these

the Anoka Sand Plain, a unique ecological landform

valuable environments. Alumna

in Central Minnesota formed by glacial lakes. They

Amy Husveth looks to reverse

are distinct wetlands and host to a variety of plants

some of that damage. “Restoration

not found elsewhere in the state; in these areas there

implementation is always a worthy

are over twenty plant species listed as endangered,

endeavor, especially when compared

threatened, or of special concern in Minnesota. Through

to the ‘do-nothing’ approach, which

their survey work, CCES has detected many of these rare

guarantees the continued loss of

plant species, and they’ve even documented a few plant

ecological functions,” Amy said.

species not previously known to occur in the state’s flora.

Amy works at Critical Connections Ecological Services

Amy’s interest in environmental restoration was inspired

(CCES) in Minnesota with her husband, Jason.

by one of Laura Jackson’s courses in applied ecology at

CCES is a natural resource and ecological restoration

UNI. Amy also worked at the Tallgrass Prairie Center,

consulting firm, providing services such as restoration

volunteered in the herpetology lab and was a summer

and management planning, natural resource inventory,

undergraduate research assistant during her time here.

wetland delineation and permitting, agricultural

“Through these opportunities, I gained hands-on and

planning, wetland banking services, land reclamation

very practical experience in the field of my chosen career

and rare species surveys. CCES’s clients include cities,

and met many professionals who helped to guide me on

the State of Minnesota, residential developers, mining

my path,” said Amy.

companies and private landowners.

After completing her bachelor’s degree in ecology Jason was inspired to start the business after discovering

in 2004, she continued on to get her Master of

the endangered species Xyris torta (twisted yellow-eyed

Science degree at UNI. Her graduate work focused on

grass), in a degraded wetland in central Minnesota in

researching methods for enhancing wildflower diversity,

1997. Thought to have been eradicated from the state,

which she applies to her job at CCES.

Xyris torta hadn’t been seen there since the 1960s. He began to experiment with unique wetland restoration

Amy’s favorite part of being a restoration ecologist

methods and learned to restore degraded wetlands to

is the continued opportunity to challenge herself

diverse wet meadows with more than 150 native wetland

through solving complex environmental and regulatory

plants, without using herbicide or supplemental seeding.

challenges. “I greatly enjoy doing my part to restore diverse wetland habitat in Minnesota and doing my part

Some of the wetlands CCES restores become wetland mitigation bank sites. Banked wetland credits are used or sold by their clients to replace unavoidable wetland — 33 —

to leave this land better than I found it,” Amy said.

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Above: Xyris torta (twisted yellow-eyed grass), an endangered species in Minnesota.

processes like wildfires have all

— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

COMMUNIQUÉ

Department of Computer Sciences launches new program

Two programs named to national lists

Alumna earns presidential teaching award

The Department of Computer Science was awarded a two-year grant for $300,000

UNI’s TESOL program was ranked No. 6 on BestColleges.com’s list

Ashley Flatebo, an elementary and middle-level education graduate,

from the National Science Foundation. Three associate professors of computer

of best online master’s programs in English language learning. The

was named a 2018 recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence

science, Sarah Diesburg, Philip East and Ben Schafer, submitted the proposal,

program also made the top ten in 2017.

in Mathematics and Science Teaching. She has taught for 13 years in

securing the biggest NSF grant in department history. It will fund UNI’s K-12

Mason City, where she is currently an instructional coach and involved

computer science education curriculum project and will help computer science

BestColleges.com also ranked UNI’s online master’s program in

educators with professional development.

secondary education as one of the best in the nation, coming in at

Graduate student creates original theatre production

with FIRST LEGO League, robotics tournaments and STEAM festivals.

15th. Rankings are based on academic quality, affordability and online

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science

programming offerings.

Teaching are the highest honors bestowed by the United States

Milica Njezic, a graduate student, wrote and directed an original theatre work,

government specifically for K-12 mathematics and science (including

“Live Thy Neighbor.” The show is a series of poetic episodes that explores what it

Special theatre production inspired by moon landing

computer science) teaching. Each recipient receives a certificate signed

means to be a neighbor in times of crisis. Njezic’s work debuted in March, with three

Gretta Berghammer, professor of theatre, is developing “To Touch the

by the President of the United States and a $10,000 award.

performances put on by UNI’s Interpreters Theatre.

Moon,” a first-of-its-kind immersive theatre production for youth on the spectrum. Its debut will coincide with next year’s 50th anniversary

Open house honors Wright Hall’s 100th birthday

SERTOMA lab passes silver anniversary

of the moon landing. Immersion theatre blurs the line between actor

A celebration of Wright Hall and David Sands Wright was held last

The SERTOMA Research Laboratory, a space dedicated to the advanced study of

and audience; participants are characters in the action from the start.

fall. Historical pictures and artifacts from the archives were on display,

communicative disorders, recently wrapped up its 25th year of operation. The lab

as were tools used throughout history in math education. Several

was completed in 1992 after SERTOMA clubs across the state raised money for

Berghammer; Mark Parrott, associate professor of theatre; Marcy

its creation. Three projects are ongoing in the lab: Evette Edmister’s research into

Seavey, UNI STEM coordinator; and two science education students

alternative communications, Lisa Kopf’s work on vocal health and Laura Pitts’

spent three days at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in

exploration of swallowing.

Huntsville, Ala., to conduct research for the show.

Vocational Building, now Wright Hall, in 1913. Construction began

Writing Conference to mark 50 Years at UNI

Alumna speaks at science education conference

renamed in 1957 to honor Wright, who taught math at the Iowa State

The North American Review (NAR) will celebrate 50 years at UNI with a writing

Aileen Sullivan, a UNI graduate, gave the keynote speech at the

conference on campus from April 19-21. Writers, teachers and scholars from around

2018 UNI Science Education Update in April. Sullivan, a chemistry

the country will be invited to share their work and participate in writing workshops.

educator at Ames High since 1996, was named 2018 Teacher of the

lectures throughout the fall also focused on Wright and Wright Hall.

The Iowa General Assembly authorized the construction of the in 1915 and was completed in 1917 for $109,566. The building was Normal School from its founding in 1876 until 1916. Wright Hall was renovated in 1949-50 and 1990-91 and currently houses the Department of Mathematics.

Year by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. The conference shared the latest teaching methods and research with educators from across the state.

UNI, U of I join forces on research project

focus of the spring issue of NAR and a Provost’s Common Read. Proposals for

Student wins national award for short film

Tibbs spent the summer conducting research with Maria Spies, a

presentations are currently being accepted from students and community members at

Tarrell Christie, a digital media production major, won an Award

northamericanreview.submittable.com/submit.

of Excellence (Honorable Mention) at the Broadcast Education

The conference will be include a keynote speech by NAR contributing editor

Ali Tabei, assistant professor of physics, and research student Joseph

Terry Tempest Williams, whose book “The Open Space of Democracy” will be the

biochemistry professor at the University of Iowa. The collaboration is part of Carver College of Medicine’s FUTURE in Biomedicine program.

Association’s Festival of Media Arts for The Spaceman. The short film

Women’s Chorus marks 130th anniversary with reunion

is about a young African American astronaut who goes on a volunteer

The Women’s Chorus invites alumnae to a weekend of celebration as the ensemble

mission into a mysterious wormhole.

Tabei and Tibbs used their knowledge of physical systems to help improve data processing software used by Spies to investigate proteins that repair DNA. This type of interdisciplinary collaboration

enters its 130th year. An informal gathering is set for 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12 at

can result in unexpected breakthroughs and gave Tibbs invaluable

SingleSpeed Brewery in Waterloo. Tours of the music facilities will begin at 10 a.m.

The festival is a national showcase for student and faculty work. It

Saturday, Oct. 13 in Russell Hall, while alumnae rehearsal begins at 11 a.m. The

provides a venue for exhibition of winning submissions, including

performance will be at 4 p.m. in GBPAC’s Great Hall. A reception and banquet will

recognition of project authors, through showcase and awards sessions

follow. Register at music.uni.edu/womens-chorus-reunion-registration.

held during BEA’s annual convention in Las Vegas. See the film at

experience working in a research lab. Tabei and Tibbs continue their work on code that will be used to improve single-molecule research studies across the country.

https://thespacemanshortfilm.weebly.com/ — 34 —

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Quick campus stories with big impact

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

MAKING (SOUND) WAVES AT NASA

Alumnus Matthew Boucher ’04 has long balanced interests in music

After spending two years in France, he received a Marie Curie fellowship

and science, a background that is helping him at his new job at

to do acoustics research at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

NASA. As an undergrad student at UNI, he double-majored in both

His work there involved the study of acoustics in smaller interior rooms

music and physics. Boucher says that his interest in both subjects

and whether methods used in predicting the acoustics of larger spaces

was encouraged by all of his professors. “Having the support to

can be applied to areas like offices and classrooms. At the completion of

follow my passions in different areas validated my curiosity and

his studies, he earned his doctorate in Noise and Vibration.

made it okay to try new things that might be outside my comfort zone,” Boucher said.

Now, Boucher is putting all of his previous research to work as a Research Aerospace Technologist (AST) in Flight Vehicle Acoustics at NASA.

After UNI, he went to Indiana University Bloomington and received his Master of Music in Tuba Performance, which he’s been playing

His main task at NASA is to better understand how we process and

since he started on the baritone tuba in fourth grade. That degree

perceive sounds by doing laboratory listening tests. One of his team’s

led him to work as a craftsman of musical instruments at S.E.

goals is to determine annoyance levels that can help regulators set

Shires, Co., where his tasks included building custom parts for

reasonable certification standards for flight vehicles. “It is really exciting

trombones. “Solving some of those unique technical problems

to be working at NASA Langley Research Center, which is actually the

helped me learn how to come up with creative solutions, a skill that

birthplace of NASA over 100 years ago. It is amazing to be surrounded

I applied to my research,” said Boucher.

by pieces of history, but the coolest part is working with caring people who just happen to be really intelligent,” Boucher said.

With a desire to go back to school and study acoustical engineering, Boucher found a program that fit his needs overseas. He traveled to

While his most recent endeavors have been leaning more in the

France to the University of Le Mans to earn his Master of Science

scientific realm, music is always a part of his life, too. He played in

degree in Acoustics Research. While there, he assisted with research

musical groups in both France and Belgium, but is taking a short break

on acoustic waveguides (a structure that guides sound waves),

as his tubas are still making it through customs. He hopes to find a

investigating techniques to predict and calculate their internal

group to play with in Virginia when he’s reunited with his instruments.

geometry and acoustic resistance. As a trombone can be considered a waveguide, Boucher was again combining elements of music with

Alumna Angie Toomsen named artistic director of Theatre Cedar Rapids.

As a child, Angie Toomsen attended plays at Theatre

gathering experience to help shape her as a director.

Cedar Rapids (TCR). In fact, she credits two shows,

But she still falls back on the initial instruction she

Romeo and Juliet at TCR and Company, a summer

received at UNI. “The fundamentals of acting I learned

performance at UNI, with sparking her curiosity about

at UNI remain the foundation for me, even though my

acting at a young age. Little did she know that she would

perspectives have evolved and changed, and I have

later earn her theatre performance degree from UNI and

studied new and different techniques over the years,”

eventually become a creative lead at TCR.

said Toomsen.

Toomsen was named artistic director at the beginning of

After returning to Iowa, Toomsen became very active in

this year, after TCR conducted a nationwide search with

the performing arts community, directing shows at the

100 candidates. In her role, she oversees programming

Riverside Theatre, Old Creamery, Theatre Cedar Rapids

and finds directors, designers, music directors,

and Strayer-Wood Theatre, among others. During her

choreographers and other positions for each show. She

directing work on August: Osage County at UNI, she

works closely with other departments to make sure

worked with Matthew Weedman, assistant professor

each production is a success, including making sure

in the department of theatre. Since then, he has helped

the production department has enough manpower to

with coaching on several TCR shows and directed a

build the sets and helping volunteer engagement to see

production there earlier this year. “I hope to bring Matt

that community members are lined up to help. She also

and other Theatre UNI professors to TCR to share their

directs a few shows a year. “Whether I am directing or

knowledge and experience with our performers. I have

not, I consider myself responsible for the quality of each

been fortunate to stay connected to the program at UNI

production, so I stay involved to support each team as

and plan to continue building a bridge between our

much as I can,” Toomsen said.

programs when I can,” Toomsen said.

In her undergraduate studies at UNI, Toomsen focused

Toomsen has won awards for her directing and is looking

on acting, but her directing, play analysis and aesthetics

forward to the upcoming season at TCR. They are

classes opened her eyes to the world of directing. After

kicking off their 85th season with a revitalized take on

graduating in 1995, she headed to New York City to

the classic musical, My Fair Lady, followed by a mix of

train at the Circle in the Square studio. She says she was

shows including Hunchback, Elf the Musical, Newsies,

constantly at the theatre there, whether it was Broadway,

Shakespeare in Love and more.

off-Broadway, performance art or something else,

his passion for science.

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Alumnus starts job working in vehicle flight acoustics

CREATIVITY ON STAGE

— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

STANDING UP for

HUMAN RIGHTS

Gaies speaking in the rotunda of the State Capitol in Des Moines on March 23, 2018, at a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the letter written by Archbishop Damaskinos protesting the Nazi deportation of Jews from Greece—the sole case in which the leader of a religion spoke out against Nazi persecution and murder.

Stephen Gaies wasn’t planning to lead the Center for Holocaust

Recent projects include a traveling exhibit on the role of doctors and

and Genocide Education (CHGE) at UNI, but the idea of creating a

nurses as rescuers in humanitarian crises around the world, which

permanent center was far from the minds of any of the original ad hoc

has been in Des Moines, Waterloo and Memphis, Tenn., and is heading

committee members whose initial goal was to organize a lecture series

to North Dakota, Illinois and Indiana. In partnership with

on the Holocaust. That original idea of a lecture series quickly evolved

the Hearst Center for the Arts, the CHGE will commemorate the

into a three-semester program of events, and the work of the committee

seventy-fifth anniversary of the rescue of Jews in Denmark with a

led to the establishment of the CHGE in September 2010.

photo exhibit, a guest speaker, a film series and a book reading group in October and November.

“It was almost four years of work and a lot of programming on campus that basically led to and provided evidence for the need for the center,”

Gaies doesn’t see the need for the center diminishing; on the contrary,

said Gaies, director. “We could point to the terrific turnout we got for

he finds it more important than ever. “No one could have predicted

our different events, the level of interest in what we were doing, the

the relevance and urgency of the issues that we deal with—the rise of

collaboration of departments, colleges and other offices across campus,

authoritarianism around the world, growing dangers of global warming,

and the number of students who were served directly or indirectly.”

inequitable distribution of resources, increasing power of corporate entities, plus the growth of social injustice, identity politics, nationalism

The CHGE aims to increase knowledge about the Holocaust and

and tribalism—all of these things are like a lethal mix that put human

other genocides and to strengthen the commitment to confront

rights at greater and greater peril,” said Gaies.

threats to human rights, including intolerance, antisemitism and racism. It also prepares K-12 teachers to include these issues in their

The CHGE depends on gifts and grants for much of its programming

lesson plans. To do this, the CHGE organizes traveling exhibits and

and other activities. A gift from UNI alumnus Norman Cohn and his

educational programming, including lecture series, art exhibits, musical

family to fund an annual lecture series has long been the anchor of the

performances, film screenings and teacher workshops, often held in

CHGE’s programming, and other generous gifts have funded traveling

collaboration with local groups like the Grout Museum, the Hearst

exhibits and an annual film series, in addition to many other events. In

Center for the Arts and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony. The center

April 2019, the CHGE will organize a Holocaust remembrance ceremony

is also an educational outreach partner of the United States Holocaust

for the 13th consecutive year.

Memorial Museum, with informal connections and collaborations with many other centers and other institutions across the state and country.

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— 39 —

COMMUNIQUÉ

COMMUNIQUÉ

The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education fights injustice with knowledge

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAM A WIN-WIN Students assist faculty with research work for ten weeks over the summer Dexter Cox, a student majoring in chemistry and physics, spent his

help to increase the number of sites and the intensity of survey

summer a little differently than most of his peers. He spent ten weeks

frequency, and that makes the data a lot more valuable,” said Wen.

in a laboratory trying to make something that’s 99.9% air.

As part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Program

opportunities in the biology, chemistry and biochemistry, computer

(SURP), Cox worked with Tim Kidd, professor of physics, to

science, Earth and environmental sciences, math and physics

study the influence of sonication parameters on the morphology

departments. This summer, 38 students took part in the program and

of nanocellulose aerogels. Basically, they used an ultrasonicator

studied things like cattails, atmospheric haze, data retrieval, watershed

– a machine with a metal probe made out of titanium alloy tank

delineation, unbalanced sets, the Cedar River and the compound

armor – to break up plant fiber molecules into tiny pieces called

a,a’bis(4-aminopyridine)-p-xylene.

COMMUNIQUÉ

COMMUNIQUÉ

While the process varies between departments, there are research

nanocellulose. Nanocellulose has many varied applications, such as Funding for the research projects comes from various sources,

body armor, fruit protectant and oil absorber.

including grants, private gifts, industrial partners, federal work study For students, SURP gives them an opportunity to gain experience

and internal funding through CHAS departments. Faculty members

doing research. Participants in the program assist faculty with

select which student will work with them on their projects.

laboratory or field research and receive a stipend and course credit for their efforts. Cox’s work this summer focused on optimizing the

At the completion of the ten weeks, there is a research symposium for

process of making the nanocellulose by minimizing the time it takes

participants to be recognized and share their work through posters.

to complete. He was successful in reducing the time required by a

“The Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium is a nice way

factor of three, using automation techniques.

to wrap up the program and see what work has been done by all the

Above: Nanocellulose aerogel cross-sections, from 90% air at the top to 99.8% air at the bottom, showing the transition from plate-like structures to fiber-like.

Right: Students trek through the prairie during a vegitation survey.

different departments,” said Laura Strauss, professor and head of the Out in the field, Ai Wen, instructor in the biology department, joined

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Strauss organizes the

with other professors to study prairies in the Conservation Reserve

symposium and manages the summer program in her department.

Program’s Pollinator Enhancement Plantings. They determined how effective the areas are by doing plant and pollinator surveys. She says

For the students participating in SURP, there’s no slacking during

that the SURP program not only helps to build resumes for students,

the summer. “From the beginning, learning about the process of how

but it’s helpful for the professors, too. With many different survey

nanocellulose aerogels are created and how to work the equipment,

sites requiring multiple visits throughout the season, their project

to the end when I presented my research ... it seemed like everyday I

might not be possible without the extra manpower. “SURP students

would learn something new,” said Cox. — 40 —

— 41 —

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

Justin Mertz is now the

Benjamin Baker, Ph.D., has

Kimberly Conner, Ph.D., has

Sade Barfield is an instructor

associate director of bands in

joined the Department of

joined the Department of

and the director of individual

the School of Music. Prior to

Communication Studies as

Mathematics as an assistant

events in the Department of

his appointment at UNI, he

an assistant professor. He

professor. She completed

Communication Studies. She

was assistant director of bands

completed his doctorate

her doctorate at the University

received her master’s degree

and director of athletic bands

in communication at the

of Missouri.

from UNI.

at Syracuse University.

University of WisconsinMilwaukee.

Lisa Kopf, Ph.D., joins

Yasemin Sari, Ph.D., has joined

Ross Winter, Ph.D., is an

Justin Peters, Ph.D., joins the

the Department of

the Department of Philosophy

assistant professor of violin

Department of Chemistry and

Communication Sciences

and World Religions as an

in the School of Music. He

Biochemistry as an assistant

and Disorders as an assistant

assistant professor. She

completed his doctorate at the

professor of biochemistry. He

professor. She was previously

previously taught at the

Catholic University of America

received his doctorate from the

a professor at Michigan State

University of Alberta, where

and actively performs with the

Mayo Clinic Graduate School of

University, where she received

she received her doctorate.

Richmond (Va.) Symphony and

Biomedical Science, where he

the IRIS Orchestra (Tenn.).

recently completed a fellowship.

her doctorate.

Kelly Strong, Ph.D., has

Pamela Hartman was named

Jim Bray has been named

Joshua Gordon, Ph.D., is a new

been named an associate

an instructor in Science

an assistant professor in the

assistant professor in TESOL

professor in the Department

Education. She was previously

Department of Theatre. He

and Applied Linguistics for the

of Technology’s construction

an adjunct professor at UNI,

has a master’s degree in theatre

Department of Languages and

management program. He

where she earned her master’s

from Kent State University.

Literatures. He has a doctorate

comes to UNI from Colorado

degree in science education.

from Indiana University, Bloomington, and was previously a

State University.

university professor in Costa Rica.

Amy Osatinski, Ph.D., is an

Jimin Kahng, Ph.D., is a

Mike Conrad, Ph.D., is an assistant

Jeffrey Funderburk, Ph.D., a

assistant professor and faculty

new assistant professor of

professor of jazz studies/music

professor of tuba/euphonium,

director in the Department

TESOL in the Department of

education in the School of

was named the director of the

of Theatre. She has a

Languages and Literatures.

Music. He earned his doctorate

School of the Music. He received

doctorate from the University

She received her doctorate

at the University of Northern

his doctorate from the University

of Colorado Boulder and

at Michigan State University

Colorado and was previously the

of Illinois and has been teaching

extensive experience as a

and previously taught

head band director at West High

at UNI since 1987.

performer and director.

at Northeastern Illinois

School in Waterloo.

University in Chicago.

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— 43 —

COMMUNIQUÉ

WELCOME NEW FACULTY

COMMUNIQUÉ

— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

COMMUNIQUÉ

‘51 Bill Page, BA, Muskegon, Mich., celebrated his 70th wedding anniversary and 90th birthday. After retiring from a long career in education he is enjoying serving his community and promoting activities that support integration of different ethnicities.

‘55 Laurens Blankers, BA, Owatonna, Minn., moved to Nashville, Tennessee in July 2017 and has been enjoying expanding his participation in churches.

‘58 Marilyn (Schabacker) Schroeder, BA, Dyersville, Iowa, retired from a career in school education in Iowa and Illinois and in 2017 organized an indivisible group in Jackson County to empower Iowans politically.

‘63 Joanne (Ervin) Miller Hill, BA, MA ‘66, Olympia, Wash., retired after teaching English/AP for 30 years and moved from Sarasota, Florida to Olympia. She and her husband, Mel, volunteer together serving the area’s homeless and hungry population.

‘65 Michael Hogan, BA, Columbus, Ohio, published a book titled The Afterlife of John Fitzgerald Kennedy: A Biography.

‘68 MaryAnn (Marsh) Smith, BA, MA ‘71, Princeton, Ill., is enjoying retirement by volunteering, visiting grandchildren and traveling. A highlight in 2017 was a three week tour of China.

‘73 Mark Bolson, BA, Thornton, Colo., stays busy with the Denver Elks Lodge and the Colorado Elks Association.

‘75 David Poggenklass, BA, Guttenberg, Iowa, retired in 2008 after 33 years teaching elementary and junior high vocal music.

He entertains at more than 30 care centers each month and enjoys fishing, — 44 —

golf and his grandchildren. He also still substitute teaches.

‘78 Debbie Yerkes, BA, Columbia, S.C., retired from the University of South California after 37.5 years as an assistant documents librarian.

‘79 Larry Smith, BA, Anchorage, Alaska, is chief geophysicist with Brooks Range Petroleum.

1980s ‘80 JoDee Davis, BM, MM, Kansas City, Mo., was promoted to full professor at the University of Missouri Kansas City in 2018. In 2017, she was awarded a University of Missouri Research Board grant to make a recording of new music for trombone and piano. The recording will include works by Jennifer Higdon, Victoria Bond and Paul Rudy. Anticipated completion is 2019.

‘81 Jeffrey Hellmer, BM, Austin, Texas, is director of jazz studies and serves as the associate director of the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin.

He led the UT Jazz Orchestra on a 2017 European tour that included performances at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals.

He was awarded the Flawn Regents Professorship in Piano.

‘81 Gary Schwartzhoff, MM, Eau Claire, Wis., marked his 44th year as a music educator. He has been active throughout his professional career in the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and Intercollegiate Male Choruses (IMC). In 2018, Schwartzhoff will be presented the Marshall Bartholomew Award by IMC in Washington D.C. In 2019, Schwartzhoff will conduct the 75th Anniversary of D-Day and the Liberation of France Choral Festival in Paris, France.

‘83 Jody (Williams) Bintz, BA, MA ‘94, Council Bluffs, Iowa, is the associate director for strategic partnerships and professional learning with BSCS Science Learning.

‘84 Tony Burns, BA, MA ‘90, Cedar Falls, Iowa, is in his 34th year teaching physics and geology at Waterloo Schools. In addition, he is an Academy Career Coordinator, which involves arranging job shadows and speakers and supporting the Waterloo Career Center.

‘85 James Chance, BM, Zearing, Iowa, was elected president of United Auto Workers Local 893 in Marshalltown.

‘85 Ruth Watkins, BA, Salt Lake City, Utah, was named president of the University of Utah.

‘86 Monique Walker, BA, Washington, D.C., is properties director for Arena Stage.

‘89 Kim (Ploeger) Buelt, BA, MA ‘93, Robins, Iowa, taught earth science and chemistry at Linn Mar High School for 18 years and is now in her 11th year as associate principal.

1990s ‘90 Lori (Binkley) Wilson, BM, West Burlington, Iowa, is artist in residence and adjunct faculty of voice at Southeastern Community College.

‘91 James Hoelscher, BA, MPP, Cedar Falls, Iowa, was elected to a three-year term on the board of the Professional Developers of Iowa.

‘91 Elaine Houska, BA, Chester, Va., is a physical therapist and became engaged June 4, 2017.

‘95 Stacy (Kraciun) Brooks, BA, Dunlap, Ill., is an English teacher and head speech coach at Dunlap High School.

‘92 Gaylen Hiesterman, BS, Cedar Falls, Iowa, enjoyed a family vacation of hiking, kayaking and wildlife viewing in the Glacier National Park last summer.

‘92 Brian Hughes, BM, MM ‘93, Dubuque, Iowa, received the 2017 American Prize in Wind Conducting in recognition of his work with the Quad City Wind Ensemble.

‘92 De Anna (Hinz) Tibben, BA, MA ‘94, Marshalltown, Iowa, is an instructional coach with the Ames Community School District. She enjoys supporting student learning by helping teachers develop lessons and learning opportunities.

‘93 Bradley Block, BA, Custer, S.D., entered into his ninth year at Jewel Cave National Monument and is currently the chief of interpretation. He also was reelected to the board of directors for the National Association of Interpretation.

‘94 Cindy (Chatfield) Freiberg, BA, Faribault, Minn., is the national accounts estimator with Gemini Inc. ‘94 J C Sanford, BA, Northfield, Minn., received a 2018 McKnight Fellowship for Composers, which acknowledges excellence in music composition and includes a $25,000 award from the McKnight Foundation.

‘96 Jim Harken, BA, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the Region 10 extension education director for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, which serves Benton, Jones and Linn Counties.

‘96 Aileen (Mahood) Sullivan, BA, Ames, Iowa, was named 2018 Iowa Teacher of the Year.

‘96 John Sutter, BA, Asbury, Iowa, completed the Ironman triathlon in Madison, Wis. on Sept. 10, 2017.

He completed the race in 14 hours, 27 minutes and 29 seconds.

‘96 Terri Wiley, BA, Portland, Ore., is the grants coordinator with The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families. The center is regarded as a leader in the field of childhood bereavement.

‘97 Benjamin Newton, BA, Grand Island, Neb., is the environmental sustainability director at Central Community College.

‘97 Angie Toomsen, BA, Iowa City, Iowa, was named artistic director at Theatre Cedar Rapids.

‘99 Doug Kilburg, MA, BA , Washington, D.C., is a mathematical statistician for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. He plans to enroll in the joint program in survey methodology at the University of Maryland, studying statistical

— 45 —

theories in connection with social and psychological theories in order to better conduct surveys.

‘99 Mary (Noga) Theilen, BA, Columbus, Wis., was promoted to personal lines president with American Family Insurance, which is the company’s largest division.

2000s ‘00 Angela (Weepie) Schmitt, BA, Oelwein, Iowa, enjoyed a great year of astrophotography including the total eclipse in Aug. 2017 and a trip to Utah national parks for meteor showers, planetary conjunctions, Milky Way shots, moon rises, and the total lunar eclipse in Jan. 2018.

‘01 Jill (Brees) Barr, BA, Spencer, Iowa, was crowned Mrs. Iowa America 2017 in June and represented the state at the national competition in Las Vegas in August.

‘01 Suzanne (Hendrix) Hendrix Case, BM, MM ‘06, Sioux City, Iowa, won second prize in the 2017 Gerda Lissner Competition and first place in the Wagner Society of New York Competition.

She also sang in Eugene Onegin at the Hawaii Opera Theatre and L’italiana in Algeri at the Santa Fe Opera.

‘02 Joshua Dean, BA, Greene, Iowa, was named the 2018 Iowa Alternative Teacher of the Year by the Iowa Association of Alternative Education.

COMMUNIQUÉ

CLASS NOTES

Alumni updates from across the nation

1950s - 1970s

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

— UNI COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SCIENCES —

COMMUNIQUÉ

‘02 Nick Pfeiffer, BA, Tiffin, Iowa, was named the director of marketing and communications for the Iowa City/Coralville Convention & Visitors Bureau. He also serves as the club leader for the Corridor Alumni Club.

‘02 Amber (Seemann) Youngblut, BA, MBA ‘05, Jesup, Iowa, was promoted to vice president of human resources at Geater Machining and Manufacturing, Co. ‘03 Jason Danielson, BA, BA ‘05, Ankeny, Iowa, is a teacher in the Des Moines Public School system.

Recently, he has performed with Aretha Franklin and Dick Oatts, and received a certificate of recognition from the Des Moines Community Jazz Center.

‘03 Nathan Dishman, BM, Huxley, Iowa, has been named Assistant Professor of Trombone at Iowa State University, where he will begin in Fall 2018. He comes to ISU from Morehead State University in Kentucky.

‘03 Brandy (Mefferd) Netty, BA, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is an associate professor of mathematics at Kirkwood Community College.

‘03 Ryan Scott, BA, Dubuque, Iowa, is president of Scott Theatre Laboratory, a professional theatre company. He is currently creating a piece for the Song Revue form on the subject of recovery from mental illness combined with a classic method of cursive handwriting.

‘03 Pema Yangchen, MA, EdD ‘09, was appointed by the Tibetan Parliament as a Kalon of the 15th Kashag. The parliament operates in exile and is based in Dharamshala, India.

‘04 Ben Byersdorfer, BM, Cedar Falls, Iowa, received a 2018 Cedar Valley Gold Star Award. He is currently a 7th-9th grade band teacher at Peet Junior High School.

‘04 Jenny Heinz, BA, Bowling Green, Ohio, is an assistant athletic director with Bowling Green State University.

‘05 Eliza Bangert, BM, Chicago, Ill., won the second flute position with the South Bend Symphony and became a performing member of the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra. She continues to perform as piccolo player for Southwest Michigan Symphony and serves as librarian at Illinois Philharmonic and Grant Park Symphony.

‘05 Joel Nelson, BA, Council Bluffs, Iowa, was named teacher of the year by the Council Bluffs Community School District. He is currently a math teacher at Abraham Lincoln High School.

— 46 —

‘06 Jennifer (Engelkes) Wittenburg, BA, Cedar Falls, Iowa, is the program manager of the Iowa Air Emissions Assistance Program with the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at UNI. ‘08 Jes (Phelan) Foster, BA, Cedar Falls, Iowa, is co-owner and chef of Moment in Thyme Catering with husband Gary Foster ‘11.

‘09 Amanda Even, BA, Annandale, Va., is the director of the RecWell Adventure Program at the University of Maryland, which received the 2017 David J. Webb Program Excellence Award from the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education.

‘09 Molly Hanson, BA, Des Moines, Iowa, spent last summer paddling with community leaders to educate and get people excited about rivers and streams in Iowa, including participating in Project AWARE on the Upper Cedar.

‘09 Bethany (Schwichtenberg) Krutzfeldt, BA, Minneapolis, Minn., is an accounts supervisor with Periscope ad agency.

2010s ‘10 Amy Green, MA, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, received the Mind Body Instructor of the Year Award at the 2017 New Zealand Exercise Industry Awards.

‘10 Lynsie Maynard, BA, Cedar Falls, Iowa, was named the 2017–18 Outstanding Elementary Art Educator by the Art Educators of Iowa.

‘10 Sean Newlin, BS, Berkeley, Calif., earned a master’s degree in public policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy in May 2018. He has focused on issues related to climate change in the U.S. and has also spent time working with the Center for Environmental Public Policy on the implementation challenges of a new rule protecting disadvantaged communities from localized poor air quality.

‘10 Katie (Messerli) VanMeter, BA, Windsor, Colo., started Luna Lab Co., a marketing studio, with husband Nick VanMeter ‘10.

‘11 Ashley Cardamone, BA, MA, Waterloo, Iowa, received a 2018 Cedar Valley Gold Star Award.

She is currently a 7th–9th grade art teacher at Holmes Junior High School.

‘11 Brett Caviness, BA, San Carlos, Calif., was named one of Coldwell Banker’s 30 under 30 for 2017 and was one of the 2018 Class of 30 under 30 by the National Association of Realtors and REALTOR Magazine. He is currently a broker sales associate in Menlo Park, California.

‘11 Mike Conrad, BM, Cedar Falls, Iowa, released an album called “New Angle” with his group, the All Angles Orchestra, featuring Alex Sipiagin in June 2017. He was selected as one of eight participants worldwide for the 2017 Metropole Orkest Arranger’s Workshop in the Netherlands. His piece, “Spherical,” was selected for a finalist spot

in the Spheres of a Genius Composition Competition. Mike has been an ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award recipient for four consecutive years and has won three Downbeat Student Music Awards for composition/arranging in the past two years. Mike also continues to actively perform.

‘16 Brianna Lewerke, BA, Mason City, Iowa, was promoted to marketing associate manager at SportsEngine, an NBC owned company.

‘17 Rachel Storlie, MM, Spring Grove, Minn., was appointed as an alumni guest lecturer in music at Luther College for the 2017–18 academic year.

‘16 Katie Patrick, BA, Cedar Falls, Iowa, is a sample control tech with Test America.

‘17 Molly Watson, BA, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a graphic designer at Principal Financial Group.

‘11 Gary Foster, BA, Cedar Falls, Iowa, is co-owner of Moment in Thyme Catering with wife Jes (Phelan) Foster ‘08.

‘16 Colin Wilson, BA, Iowa City, Iowa, completed his first semester as a graduate fellow at the University of Iowa pursuing a master’s in vocal performance. He was featured as the tenor soloist for Puccini’s Messa di Gloria at Hancher Auditorium with the combined choirs and the University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra.

‘11 Nicholas Kuhle, BA, Waterloo, Iowa, received a 2018 Cedar Valley Gold Star Award. He is currently a 6th grade math teacher at Hoover Middle School.

‘12 Reilly Zlab, BA, Boston, Mass., received the Public Service and Civic Leadership Impact Award from Spark Boston, the City of Boston’s millennial council, for her work in government innovation and technology in the City of Boston.

‘14 Aaron Stolley, BA, Tempe, Ariz., is a basic data unit team lead with the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

‘16 Melia Beschta, BA, New York, N.Y., is a freelance stage manager.

‘16 Hannah (Carr) Carr Murphy, BA, BM ‘16, Saint Paul, Minn., received her MA in community music from the University of Limerick (Ireland) in 2017. She is currently working at the Center for Irish Music in St. Paul, Minnesota.

‘17 Brent Mead, BM, Overland Park, Kan., is a member of the UMKC Graduate Fellowship Brass Quintet, which won third place at the 2018 MTNA national chamber competition in the wind division, and was an alternate at the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Brent won the Principal Trombone position in the Wichita Symphony in June 2018.

‘17 Riley Mullins, BA, Iowa City, Iowa, works in the air and water quality branch for Linn County Public Health and is working towards her master’s degree in environmental engineering and science at the University of Iowa.

‘17 Austin Sanford, BA, Lenexa, Kan., is a consultant analyst with Cerner Corporation.

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Passings ‘55 Jack Roorda, BA, MA ‘59, died Dec. 28, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

‘60 Nancy (Wallace) Burkhart, BA, died Dec. 6, 2017, in Gaithersburg, Md. ‘60 Kenneth Caquelin, BA, MA ‘64, died July 24, 2017, in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

‘61 Gene Ebner, BA, died Feb. 20, 2016, in Sioux City, Iowa.

‘68 Carolyn (Vance) Burrell, BA, died Oct. 18, 2017, in Milwaukee, Wis. ‘76 Janet Gallagher, BA, MBA ‘81, died Aug. 4, 2016, in Waterloo, Iowa.

COMMUNIQUÉ

CLASS NOTES

‘02 Alan Greiner, MM, Jefferson, Iowa, received the National Federation of State High School Association’s Citation Award, which is one of the most highly regarded achievements in athletics and performing arts. Alan is currently the executive director of the Iowa High School Music Association.

— VOLUME 7 • FALL 2018 —

College of

Humanities, Arts & Sciences University of Northern Iowa

College of

266 Communication Arts Center Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0358

Humanities, Arts & Sciences University of Northern Iowa

Mr. Jon Doe

1234 Any Street Anytown, USA 12345

THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING HAPPENING ON CAMPUS

Gallery of Art Fall Exhibitions

Various Shows Running through Nov. 16 Kamerick Art Building Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Monday-Thursday

Lecture: Karen Oberhauser

“Dwindling Numbers for an Iconic Insect”

Oct. 24, 7 p.m.

Room 002, Sabin Hall

UNI Opera presents:

Fall Opera Performance

Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m.

Great Hall, Gallagher Bluedorn

Cantorei Concert Nov. 8, 6 p.m.

Great Reading Room, Seerley Hall

Armistice

Nov. 11, 2 p.m.

Great Hall, Gallagher Bluedorn

CONNECTwith CHAS Check out what’s going on with CHAS by following these media sources:

www.uni.edu/chas www.facebook.com/unichas @uni_CHAS Questions: chas-info@uni.edu Updates: chas-alumni@uni.edu

Theatre UNI presents:

She Kills Monsters

Nov. 28–Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 2, 2 p.m.

Strayer-Wood Theatre

UNI Varsity Men’s Glee Club:

Christmas Variety Show

Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Great Hall, Gallagher Bluedorn

UNI Holiday Concert Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m.

Great Hall, Gallagher Bluedorn

UNI Intrepreters Theatre:

An Evening of Text Messages Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.

Lang Hall, 040

Theatre UNI presents:

Legacy of Light

Feb. 21–23, & Feb.28-Mar2, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 24 & Mar. 3, 2 p.m.

Strayer-Wood Theatre